Jumbo Allocations Is Tinubu’s Strategy To Develop States, Says Kalu

UMUAHIA – The Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Right Honourable Benjamin Kalu, has declared that the reason states receive more allocation from the federation account in the present dispensation away from what they were getting in the past is because the President wants more development in the nooks and crannies of the country.

Kalu, who spoke at a meeting with the support groups of Renewed Hope Partners and Ben Kalu Foundation in Umuahia, described the monthly allocations being released to states as huge and staggering, amounting to N36billion monthly.

“That’s why states like Abia, Imo, Enugu and Ebonyi are performing. I’m here to give credit to the President who, without hesitation, is releasing the gains/outcome of the oil subsidy removal to the federating states”, he declared.

Speaking on 2027 general elections in Abia State, the Deputy Speaker, who is of the All Progressives Alliance (APC), stated that the APC would take over the state during the poll, adding “the takeover is not going to be by force, but through the ballot box”.

“They said APC is not strong in Abia, look at the crowd; we’ll show them that we’re formidable and that APC is in the grass root. I’m the face of the opposition in Abia, that’s why I’m telling you this, we’ll take over from 2027”, he insisted.

He stated that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has agreed to dredge the Azumini Blue River and build a seaport there to give Igbos the sure way of transacting their global businesses with ease.

“The President has heard our cries for a seaport as businessmen and women doing marine and international businesses and has promised to develop a seaport in Abia State, very soon, this process would begin”, he informed.

On voters’ registration, Kalu urged APC members to mobilize their supporters and friends to the registration centres across the state, even as he described Abia as the least registered state in the federation.

He used the forum to call on the party faithful at the grass root to form cooperatives societies under the Renewed Hope Partners, saying that “it’s another device by the President to empower the APC members at the rural areas”

Similarly, the Deputy Speaker announced the setting up of N170million fund for small and medium scale enterprises by his office under the Ben Kalu Foundation.

The fund, he stated, is to revive ailing SMEs in the Wards and local government areas of the state.

In their comments, three former commissioners who served under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the previous administrations: Chief Charles Ogbonnaya, Chief Don Ubani and Chief P.C Mba stated that the APC would win in Abia in 2027 given the right atmosphere.